§ Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assistance the marine pollution control unit is offering the authorities in Alaska; if he will list the United Kingdom equipment available to assist in cleaning up this disaster; if the Frogmat has been brought to the Alaskan authorities' attention; and if he will make a statement on the use of dispersants.
§ Mr. PortilloThe marine pollution control unit's resources exist to deal with oil spills around United Kingdom coasts. Some of these can be offered to assist neighbouring European states under an agreement for co-operation in dealing with pollution of the North sea by oil (the Bonn agreement). Assistance is not normally offered to an authority as far away as Alaska since to do so would reduce unacceptably our ability to respond to any incident at home. Any request for assistance from the Alaskan authorities would nevertheless by sympathetically considered. The United Kingdom developer of Frogmat has advised the marine pollution control unit that he has brought his product to the attention of the Alaskan authorities. The use of dispersants for dealing with oil spills is a well proved method, but their effectiveness depends on the type of oil, how quickly they can be applied, and the weather conditions.